Safe and Sound
by IplayedInTraffic
Summary: Tag to the season finale. Scott rushes to the root cellar after the Darach is defeated to rescue his pack. He finds that one of them isn't as 'fine' as he had said he was. One-shot.


Author's Note: If you're reading this, chances are by now you know I'm obsessed with Episode Tags. I loved the finale, but I refuse to believe Stiles can crash his jeep, become unconscious with a bleeding head wound, and then just be okay without any questions. I wanted to see Scott get them out of the cellar, so I wrote about him doing so. Ahh, the power of fanfiction. Enjoy!

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Scott ran until he reached the large tree trunk standing in a mess of upturned earth. Every bit of soil looked churned and disturbed. Panic flared in Scott as he realized how close it had been. How easy it would have been for Jennifer to crush and suffocate his pack if his plan hadn't worked. He swallowed down the feelings and got to work.

He removed the large chain he had found in the distillery from around his shoulders and wrapped it around the biggest nearby tree. He gave it a few tugs, satisfied that the friction would hold steady. He walked over to the largest opening in the ground and crouched.

"Mom?" Scott yelled.

Immediately laughs and yells of relief reached his ears.

"Scott!" Melissa responded. "Honey, are you alright?"

"I'm fine mom," Scott smiled around his words at the sound of his mother's voice. "Everyone still okay down there?"

"We're all okay," Melissa yelled back up. He heard shuffling and a few moments later his mom came into view. She was filthy from head to toe but when she smiled up her son, Scott thought it was the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen. The last days had been filled with guilt and terror at the thought of losing her, and now she was right in front of him; safe and sound.

"Did you bring a ladder?" Scott was brought out of his own head at the sound of his best friend's voice.

"No, but I've got something that'll work," Scott replied. He reached behind him and pulled the length of the chain toward him. "Mom, watch out. I'm dropping something in."

As soon as she was clear Scott dropped the chain into the hole.

"You guys can climb up that and I'll pull you out," Scott yelled down. "Mom, you come first."

Melissa grabbed the chain and moved to begin climbing. She got up a couple of feet before her hands started slipping. "I can't," she began, but hands grabbed her legs and started pushing her up. She looked bellow to see Sheriff Stilinksi giving her a boost.

"Just hold on mom," Scott said. He grabbed the chain and pulled, lifting Mellissa with it. When she was close enough to the top he grabbed her arms and pulled her out with ease. He had her in a fierce hug as soon as she was on solid ground.

"I was so worried," he mumbled into her shoulder.

"I know honey," Melissa soothed, rubbing his back. "But it's over now."

Scott finally released her and turned back to the hole. "Mr. Stilinski, you ready?"

"Allison is coming up next," he replied.

Scott looked down in the hole to see if his assistance was needed, but not surprisingly Allison was climbing the chain with ease. He offered her a hand when she reached the top and she took it, smiling as their eyes met. Scott blushed, ignoring the feelings that lingered within that look and turned back to the hole. Isaac was already half way up and he reached for Scott's hand. Scott pulled him the rest of the way out and gave him a reassuring shoulder squeeze.

Isaac stared at Scott for a moment before he finally spoke, "Something's different about you."

Scott smiled slightly and nodded. "We'll talk about it later."

Without waiting for a response he turned to help the remaining three in the cellar. He looked down to see Stiles struggling more than he would have expected and began pulling the chain up, like he had with his mother. Stiles looked relieved for the assistance. He reached a hand out as soon as he was high enough and Scott pulled him up and out.

"Thank god," Stiles breathed out. He sat down next to Scott, exactly where he had landed when Scott lifted and showed no sign of moving anytime soon. "'Bout time buddy," Stiles joked as he slapped Scott on the back.

In the moonlight Scott could see his best friend clearly, and the sight sent a new rush of panic through him. Half of his face was covered in dried blood and he was paler than he should have been. He looked exhausted.

Scott reached out and gently took Stiles chin in his hand, turning his head so he could see the wound. His face was clammy to the touch.

Stiles gently swatted Scott's hand away and rolled his eyes.

"I'm good Scott," Stiles said, but the effort it seemed to take to get those few words out had Scott believing otherwise. "Now will you please get my dad out of the giant hole?"

Scott looked at his friend closely again and the worry did not die down. Stiles' eyes were drooping and he'd now looped an arm around his middle as if he was trying to keep some kind of unseen pain from escaping.

"Mom!" Scott yelled over his shoulder. She was by his side in an instant and he pointed at Stiles. She looked starlted when her eyes landed on him. She hadn't been able to see him very well in the darkness of the root cellar. "Can you take care of him?"

"Of course," she replied. She immediately moved into nurse mode and crouched in front of Stiles.

Satisfied, Scott turned back to the hole just in time to offer Mr. Argent a hand that pulled him to safety. He thanked Scott and moved to where Alison and Isaac were waiting for him.

The Sheriff was already half way out of the hole when Scott looked again and he quickly gave him the final few pulls. When he reached solid ground he placed a hand on Scott's shoulder and looked into his eyes.

Scott realized that the last time the Sheriff had seen him, his eyes had glowed yellow and his fangs were barred. He was surprised when the man smiled at and shook his head fondly.

"I'm proud of you Scott," he told the teenager. Scott felt pride swell inside of him as one of the only father figures in his life gave his approval.

"That means a lot," Scott said.

"I know," replied the Sheriff. He continued to smile, until his eyes met Melissa's worried ones. His eyes landed on his son and he was moving to him in an instant. Scott was by his friend's side a moment later.

The Sheriff gripped his son's face gently as he took in the dried blood. He turned and sent a questioning look to Melissa.

"I think he has a concussion," she answered, "and some bruised ribs. I don't think anything's broken."

"What happened?" The Sheriff asked his son.

Stiles took a shaky breath and tried to sit up straighter. Melissa's hand was on his shoulder in an instant stopping the motion. The touch was gentle and caring and Stiles decided to stay still.

"There was a crazy storm on my way here," Stiles explained. "I couldn't see anything and I kinda wrecked the Jeep."

"How did you get here then?" The Sheriff asked.

"I walked when I woke up," Stiles stated.

"When you woke up?" Melissa questioned. "How long were you unconscious?"

"I didn't time it," Stiles quipped.

"Stiles," his father reprimanded.

Stiles sighed and closed his eyes against the throbbing in his skull. "I don't know. When I woke up I was scared I was too late, but I got here in time so it must not have been that long."

The Sheriff's gaze softened at his sons words and rubbed his shoulder reassuringly. "Yeah kid, you got here just in time."

Stiles smiled slightly and gave his dad's arm a pat, thankful that after days of gut-wrenching worry he still had the chance for the physical connection.

"Let's get out of here," Stiles said.

"To a hospital," Melissa confirmed.

Stiles tried to protest but Scott cut him off.

"Shut up Stiles," his best friend ordered, without any heat. "Let someone take care of you for once."

Stiles conceded and let himself be helped to his feet by the caring parents. He returned Scott's gaze and gave him a mocking glare.

"Alright Mr. Bossy. Who died and made you the Alpha?"

"No one," Scott grinned. "I'm a _true_ Alpha, remember?"

Stiles laughed with a hand pressed against his ribs. The best friend's parents gave each other confused looks, still not fully knowledgeable about the werewolf terminology.

"I texted Lydia," Scott said. "She's coming to give us a ride back into town."

Stiles looked over at the Argent's and Isaac. "She can't fit all of us," he pointed out.

"They can walk," Scott shrugged.

Stiles raised his eyebrows and smirked. "I thought you were okay with the new budding romance between your ex-girlfriend and your roommate."

"I am," Scott admitted, "But that doesn't mean I have to watch it happen. Plus it's not that far."

"Then why don't we all walk?" Stiles asked.

"Because," Melissa joined in, "You need a hospital."

Stiles rolled his eyes but nodded.

"And when we get there you have a lot of explaining to do," his father prompted. "And I have a lot of apologizing to do."

"No," Stiles protested. "It's refreshing to have someone think all of this stuff is crazy and unbelievable."

"Still," the Sheriff said. "You're my son, and nothing you say should be unbelievable to me."

"We'll talk about everything," Stiles answered. "I promise. No more secrets."

"No more secrets," his dad smiled. "Now let's get out of here."

The Sheriff led the way back to the road with Melissa by his side. The Argents and Isaac took a shorter route through the woods they'd remembered from their days of tracking and hunting. Stiles had one arm wrapped around Scott's shoulders. Scott gripped his hand and wrapped his other arm around his best friend's waist for support.

Stiles felt safe for the first time in as long as he could remember. His head throbbed, his side was on fire, and he could feel the darkness Dr. Deaton had mentioned beginning to creep its way into his heart. Despite this, he felt happy. He had his father back and safe. Scott's mother, the woman who was also like a mother to him was okay. His friends were all alive.

And he had his best friend, his brother at his side. After all they'd been through since the Alpha pack arrived and Jennifer began teaching their class, it was over. They'd stuck together and come out on top, just like they always did.

He gripped Scott's shoulder tighter and felt his friend squeeze his hand. In that moment, he knew that no matter what creature arrived or what darkness threatened to overtake him, he would beat it. As long as Scott was at his side, he would be okay.

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Well there's my latest tag! I'm hoping to write a multi-chapter Stiles whump story in the near future as soon as I can get the idea fairy working. I hope you enjoyed this one though. I would love to hear any thoughts or opinions from you all. We need to stick together as we wait for season 3b in January!

Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think!


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